Markdown has become the default format for documentation, project notes, AI instructions, knowledge bases, and developer workflows. Yet on macOS, opening a Markdown file through Quick Look often means staring at raw text rather than the formatted document it was intended to be. showmd was created to fix that experience.
showmd is a native macOS Quick Look extension that renders Markdown files in a clean, readable format directly from Finder. Instead of seeing headings, tables, lists, and metadata as raw syntax, users get a proper preview that feels much closer to how the document was meant to be consumed.
One of the application's most distinctive features is its handling of YAML frontmatter. Rather than displaying metadata as a block of text at the top of every document, showmd automatically parses it into a structured, collapsible table. The metadata stays out of the way by default but remains easily accessible when needed.
The project also pays special attention to modern AI workflows. Many Markdown files now contain custom XML-style tags, agent instructions, prompts, and structured metadata designed for AI systems. Instead of rendering these elements as cluttered angle brackets, showmd displays them as clearly labeled visual blocks, making AI-related documentation significantly easier to read and navigate.
For developers, technical writers, researchers, and AI practitioners who spend much of their day working with Markdown, showmd improves a surprisingly common part of the workflow. Rather than opening a dedicated editor every time you want to inspect a file, you can preview documents directly from Finder and immediately understand their content.
It's a small utility that solves a very specific problem, but for people who live in Markdown every day, it makes the macOS experience feel much more polished and modern.